Projections from the substantia nigra pars reticulata to the motor thalamus of the rat: Single axon reconstructions and immunohistochemical study

Abstract

This is a study in the rat of the distribution of specific neurotransmitters in neurones projecting from the substantia nigra reticulata (SNR) to the ventrolateral (VL) and ventromedial (VM) thalamic nuclei. Individual axons projecting from the SNR to these thalamic nuclei have also been reconstructed following small injection of the anterograde tracer dextran biotin into the the SNR. Analysis of reconstructions revealed two populations of SNR neurones projecting onto the VL and VM thalamic nuclei. One group projects directly onto the VM and VL, and the other projects to the VM/VL and to the parafascicular nucleus. In another set of experiments Fluoro‐Gold was injected into the VL/VM to label SNR projection neurones retrogradely, and immunohistochemistry was performed to determine the distribution of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT), γ ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA), and glutamate in Fluoro‐Gold‐ labelled SNR projection neurones. Most SNR‐VL/VM thalamic projection neurones were immunoreactive to acetylcholine or glutamate, whereas only 25% of the projection neurones were found to be immunoreactive to GABA. J. Comp. Neurol. 440:20–30, 2001.